Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is a process for depositing a thin film of material on a substrate (e.g., a wafer) and is commonly used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices. The PVD process is carried out at a high vacuum in a chamber containing the substrate and a PVD target. During the PVD process, the PVD target is physically converted from a solid into a vapor. The vapor is then transported from the PVD target to the substrate, where it is condensed on the substrate as a thin film.